The wide receiver position might be the Indianapolis Colts' biggest question mark.
The Indianapolis Colts have set out to keep things status quo on the offensive side of the ball this offseason, with one significant exception.
They traded wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. to the Pittsburgh Steelers, offloading his $29 million salary to make more room financially and in the passing game for Alec Pierce.
The Colts did add free-agent receiver Nick Westbrook-Ikhine and drafted Deion Burks in the seventh round, but neither is a one-for-one replacement. They're part of a group that will compete to replace that production while Pierce, Josh Downs, and tight end Tyler Warren climb the passing game's totem pole.
At this time, beyond Pierce and Downs, the Colts' receiver corps will be more of a sum of its parts rather than having a solidified lineup.
With that type of uncertainty, NFL.com's Matt Okada considers receiver to be the Colts' biggest roster issue.
"After shipping Michael Pittman Jr. to Pittsburgh, the Colts have a notable hole at wideout opposite Alec Pierce, whom they signed to an eyebrow-raising $114 million contract," Okada wrote. "Josh Downs is an underrated asset in the slot, but at 5-foot-9 and 171 pounds, he’s pigeonholed into that role. Nick Westbrook-Ikhine and seventh-round rookie Deion Burks are depth pieces, not starters of Pittman’s caliber.
"And while tight end Tyler Warren will pick up a lot of the target slack, Indy’s three-receiver sets are going to look very underwhelming. Depending on the finances, the Colts may want to consider free agent Stefon Diggs as a stopgap."
Pierce — who missed the offseason program, recovering from ankle surgery — signed a four-year deal worth up to $116 million this offseason, so the expectation is that he assumes the Colts' WR1 role, broadening his former duties, while Downs sees more action on the outside than he has in his previous three seasons.
Ashton Dulin, who's the team's longest-tenured receiver after joining in 2019, is slated to receive his most significant role yet, being the primary option to be the Colts' new third receiver.
Westbrook-Ikhine, Burks, and Laquon Treadwell will attempt to eat into some of Dulin's snaps.
“That's going to be an open competition," Colts head coach Shane Steichen said in June. "Obviously, Dulin's been here. He's taking a lot of reps right now, but we got Treadwell, and we signed Westbrook-Ikhine, who's a good player that's played this league for a while. So, we'll see how camp goes, but I'm excited for that battle.”
As for the biggest factor in who will see the most receiver reps behind Pierce and Downs, Steichen points to consistency.
“I think the biggest thing is consistency," Steichen said. "Who's going to be the most consistent there, day in and day out, play in and play out, to go help us win games.”
